Boston’s self proclaimed “King’s of the Irish wedding band scene” actually hail from bordering Somerville, a small and gritty, working class ethnic city that also happens to be one of the hippest places to live in America (Utne Reader) and all this with out losing it’s way to yuppies and gentrification. One could argue that Los Dablios embody the very essence of Somerville.

Los Dablios take Josh Lederman’s melancholy and boozy, romantic lyrics and vocals inspired by the MacGowan and Waits school of songwriting and combine it with American and ethnic roots-rock with a strong Irish and Jewish overtones – of course – and at times touches of Jazz, Cajun and Big Band. Someone once described this as folk punk for nerds and computer programmers – a perfect description.

July 2004

Now I know there is some truth in the claim on the Los Diablos’ web page claiming Los Diablos’ started out as an Irish-American wedding band. I first came across Josh Lederman and the boys when they played at a bachelor party I recently attended. A sold set of Pogues covers came to an abrupt end when the best man bitch slapped the groom who responded by rugby tackling him into Los Diablos’ accordion player. The band took it all in the good spirit of the day but scuttled out very quickly after that taking broken instruments with them.

Josh Lederman is a singer/songwriter of equal parts Waits, MacGowan and Bukowski – romantic, melancholy and laying in the gutter but always looking at the stars. Los Diablos’ play an almost unique blend of electric-folk, bluegrass, Cajon, Celtic and rock music with a touch of the blues and Eastern European folk thrown in for good measure. The mandolin and accordion being the principle instruments. The closest group musically I can think of is James Fearnley’s post-Pogues project The Sweet and Low Orchestra.

February 2003